HERKIMER – The FM Raiders earned their biggest and most thrilling win of the season on Thursday evening when they defeated the Herkimer Generals on the Generals' own court. Regulation time ended with an 86-86 tie. The Raiders then toughed out a 99-96 overtime victory over the #2-ranked team in the region.

The Raiders had lost a number of close games early in the season, but they stepped up their game in this new year and have now won four of their last six games.

FM showed that they were ready to play from the opening jump. The first half was an even battle. The score was 37-37 as the half was ending; then the Generals tallied in the final seconds. The teams left the floor with the home team ahead by two points.

The second half was one to remember. The teams worked and sprinted and matched each other's output. The lead changed hands an amazing six times in the 20 minutes. When the half ended, the score was knotted at 86-86.

Overtime became a shootout. The Generals put 10 points on the board but the Raiders outdid them with 13, defeating the home team and posting a 99-96 win.

It was the Raiders' second consecutive strong showing against a top team. They had hosted the region's #1 team, SUNY Delhi, six days earlier and trailed the Broncos by only one point with two minutes to play before being beaten by the region's best.

Thursday's win over Herkimer was additionally rewarding because the Generals had defeated FM 90-68 in the Raiders Den one month ago.

Herkimer's season record is now 18-6. The Raiders have won four of six and have momentum in their favor. They will host the region's #3-ranked team, Mohawk Valley, on Sunday. The Hawks defeated the Raiders by merely three points (96-93) when they met in Utica on January 11.

The game this Sunday will be part of a women's-men's doubleheader. The Lady Raiders are ranked #2 in the region and will host the always-tough, #5-ranked Lady Hawks at 1:00 p.m. The men's game will follow around 3:00.

                       C.J. Bonny, website writer

Scoring:

FM:  Barr 22, Mercedes 7, Simmons 11, Rivera 17, Edwards 5, Stanislas 10, Stewart 4, D. Davis 2, Baum 21; Total 99

HCCC:  Galay 10, Williams 6, Hunter 12, Garcia 23, Lanieri 5, Feiler 40; Total 96

Halftime:  39-37, HCCC